Air Vanuatu returns B737, ATR72 to service
05.10.2023 – 19:52 UTC
Air Vanuatu (NF, Port Vila) has returned its only B737-800 to service and then brought its single ATR72-600 back into service this week, helping to ease a capacity squeeze at the small South Pacific carrier.
As ch-aviation recently reported, Air Vanuatu grounded its only passenger jet, YJ-AV8 (msn 42052) in September after discovering an auxiliary power unit (APU) that was outside of limits in the turbine area. However, the B737-800 returned to service on September 30.
“International schedules have been operational, and international travel backlogs were quickly resolved,” reads an October 4 statement from Air Vanuatu. “Final mechanical works on the B737-800 are scheduled to take place when the required equipment arrives from Europe mid-month. This work will be conducted overnight and is not expected to affect any flights.”
The same statement also said that the carrier’s sole ATR, YJ-AV73 (msn 1358), was returning to service on October 5, earlier than expected. FlightAware ADS-B tracking data indicates that the aircraft went out of service on September 30 and recommenced flights on…
Honiara forgives $2mn Solomons’ debt
31.07.2023 – 22:22 UTC
The Solomon Island’s government quietly dropped a SBD20 million Solomon Islands dollar (USD2.4 million) debt owed to it by state-owned Solomons – Solomon Airlines (IE, Honiara), according to the Solomon Star newspaper.
The country’s 2022 budget, handed down in April 2022, reportedly accounted for the forgiven debt that was facilitated by the Minister for Finance and Treasury, Harry Kuma. However, there is no specific reference to this in the published 2022 budget speech, approved development budget, or approved recurrent budget.
“In the 2022 budget, we saw it fit to forgo SBD20 million debts that Solomon Airlines has with the government and that is the big relief for Solomon Airlines,” said Minister for Communication and Aviation, Peter Shanel Agovaka, at an event at Henderson Airfield in Honiara to mark the arrival of the airline’s second A320-200. ch-aviation has contacted the minister’s office for further information.
That second Airbus (AIB, Toulouse Blagnac)-0, H4-SAL (msn 5566), ferried in from Brisbane International on July 27. The aircraft’s arrival doubles the carrier’s jet capacity, joining its…
Solomon Airlines in talks for second A320
16.05.2023 – 03:20 UTC
Solomons – Solomon Airlines (IE, Honiara) is looking to secure a second A320-200 to capitalise on demand for travel to Honiara for the 17th Pacific Games later this year. Solomon Airlines CEO Gus Kraus told the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Commission that a letter of intent (LOI) had been signed with the lessor and lease negotiations were expected to commence shortly.
If the lease proceeds, it will provide the state-owned carrier with its second jet aircraft and offer some much needed capacity when the other aircraft goes out of service. Kraus did not provide specific information on the incoming aircraft, other than saying it was former Jetstar Airways (JQ, Melbourne Tullamarine) Airbus stock, and that he hoped to have it by July or August.
“The purchase will see us having a new modern airplane that is under 10 years old,” he said. “That’s the newest airplane we’ve got.” Solomon Airlines currently operates a fleet of five aircraft, including one 18.04 year-old A320-200, one 31.79 year-old DHC-8-100, and three DHC-6-300s variously aged…